Device for the manufacture of pipe fittings



8 1933- R. J. HECKE'L 1,923,372

DEVICE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PIPE FITTINGS Filed March 8, 1950 Patented Aug. 22, 1933 UNITED STATES DEVICE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PIPE FITTINGS Rudolph J. Heckel, Rochester, Pa.

Application March 8, 1930. Serial No. 434,334

3 Claims.

My invention relates to the manufacture of pipe-fittings, such as couplings, thread-protectors, and the like; and the object of the invention is to provide instrumentalities for shearing, rolling and welding a strip of skelp to form simultaneously a plurality. of such fittings.

In the practice of my invention a strip of skelp is heated to, welding temperature, and passed between a set of cooperating rolls which are adapted to shear the strip into rectangular pieces, (each of which pieces provides sufficient material for the formation of one of the hollow fittings to be made) and such rolls are further adapted to generate a fitting from each sheared piece of skelp, and to effect the welding of the two edges of each piece which are brought in such generation to an abutting or overlapping position.

One roll of the set of forming rolls is a collapsi ble roll upon which the sheared pieces of skelp are rolled and welded to their ultimate closed or ey lindrical form. One or more forming rolls cooperate With the collapsible roll to shear, form and weld the skelp, as above mentioned. Upon remarking that my apparatus provides an improved method of forming pipe-fittings, I proceed with the description of an embodiment of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. I is a view in plan, illustrating partly in cross-section and partly in elevation the collapsible roll, and showing associated therewith one of the rolls which cooperate in the formation of pipe-fittings. Fig. II is a view in end elevation of the collapsible roll, as it appears in expanded position for rolling; and Fig. III is a similar view, showing the collapsible roll collapsed for the removal of the formed fittings. Fig. IV is a fragmentary view in longitudinal section, showing a portion of the collapsed roll, corresponding to Fig. III, and indieating in cross-section a formed fitting which is free to be axially removed therefrom. And Fig. V is a diagrammatic view in end elevation of a set of forming rolls in co-operating organization with the collapsible roll.

Referring to the drawing the reference numeral 1 indicates generally the collapsible roll, and 2, 3, and i the forming rolls which are associated with the collapsible roll. The collapsible roll 1 is, indeed, a plurality of axially aligned rolls 1a, and each roll member 1a consists ofa plurality of seg ments 1b which are arranged annularly around a shaft 5, as is shown in Figs. II and III. The forming rolls 2, 3, and 4 are also in eiIect each a plurality of axially aligned rolls 2a, (see Fig. I)

and each roll member 2a is opposed to and adapted to co--operate with one of the roll members la of the collapsible roll. I have not illustrated a machine frame for operatively mounting and driving the rolls, suffice it to say, that the shafts 5 6 of the several rolls may be conveniently journaled in a frame, and such of the rolls as is found desirable may be connected to means for effecting their controlled rotation.

It will be noted that I have adapted eight seg ments lb to form each 'roll member 1a, and that each segment is internally so formed as to pro,- vlde, when the eight are assembled around shaft 5, a recess 7. The recess 7 includes a cylindrical recess portion 8 and a frusto-conical recess portion 9, and as will presently appear, the particular shape of the recess is important. On the shaft 5 there is integrally formed, or secured, a plurality of collar members, comprising a tapering portion 16 and a cylindrical portion 11. Adjacent thc left-hand end of each segment 1b is a seat 12, and adjacent the right-hand end of each segment there is a seat 13. When the collapsible roll members in are expanded for rolling the skelp, the seats 12 13 rest snugly on the cylindrical portions ll of two of the collar members of the shaft 5, as shown in Fig. I. A torus or circular solenoid 14 of resilient wire is sprung into position in grooves 15 hich are located in the end portions of the segments 1?), and these springs 14 serve to main-- tain the segments in snug contact with the collar members, in either their expanded (Figs. I and II) or collapsed (Figs. III and IV) condition.

To manufacture pipe-fittings, as for example thread-protectors, the contours of the roll members 1a and 2a are determined to give the ultimate fittings the desired shape. Preparatory to the introduction of a strip of skelp, the rolls 1, 2, 3 and 4 are arranged in separated position; that is, therolls are spaced approximately in the relation in which they are indicated in Fig. V. A strip of skelp A is heated to welding temperature, and then fed edgewise between the collapsible roll 1 I and the co-operating driven roll 2. By the term edgewise, I intend that the strip is fed transversely of its length between the rolls; for example, the strip A appears in length in Fig. I, and in breadth in Fig. V, and it is fed in the direction of arrow 20, Fig. V.

When the skelp is placed in the position shown in Fig. V, the rolls 2 and 4 are moved toward the collapsible roll 1, as indicated by the arrows 21 and 22, respectively. Roll 2 in so moving against the edge A1 of the skelp, and in rotating as indicated by the arrow 23, presses the skelp A against the collapsible roll 1, and draws the strip A between the set of rolls. In so rotating and so moving the rolls relatively to each other, the peripheral edges 20 of the roll 2 and the edges 10 of the roll members 1a co-operate to shear the strip A into rectangular pieces, as mentioned hereinbefore. Continued rotation of rolls and continued closing of the rolls toward the collapsible roll 1, effects the pressing of the sheared pieces of skelp to desired form on the faces 1d of collapsible roll members la. In such rotation of the rolls, the outer edge A2 of each piece of skelp is drawn into such position on the collapsible roll as to overlap the edge A1 of each piece which has been pressed and maintained against the faces 1d of the collapsible roll. Manifestly, the skelp being at welding tel perature, the overlapping edges of each piece are welded, as rolling progresses, and thereupon a thread protector B, as indicated in section in Figs. I and IV, is formed. Upon the completion of sufficient rolling, the shaft 5 is shifted, relatively to the roll members la, in a left-to-right direction. This shifting of shaft 5 moves the collar members (10, 11) into registry with the correspondingly shaped recesses 7 of the roll members 1a. Thereupon, the springs I4 cause the segments 12) to move radially inwardly upon the shaft 5, and a collapsing of the collapsible roll is had, such collapsed position of the roll 1 being illustrated in Figs. III and IV. The rolls 2 and 4 are then moved in the direction of the arrows 24 and 25, respectively, and upon removing one end of the shaft 5 from its supporting bearing (not shown), the several B are free to be removed axiallyfrcm the collapsible roll 1. Upon shifting the shaft 5 to its initial position (Fig. I) the segments lb are brought into expanded position, and the procedure may so be repeated.

It may be remarked that, although they are not shown in detail, the rolls 3 and 4 are in structure similar to roll 2. Conveniently, the colla sible roll is not driven powerfully, but roll 2 is so driven, and, if desirable, rolls 3 and 4 may be so driven. Roll 3 may be merely a guide roll which is resiliently urged into contact with the collapsible roll, to support the pieces of skelp which turn with the collapsible roll during a forming operation; or, roll 3 may-be adapted to be shifted, as rolls 2 and 4 are shifted toward and away from the collapsible roll.

In Fig. II it may be noted that there are spaces between the roll segments lb when the roll membersare in expanded or rolling position. Manifestly, the spaces will cause ridges on the inner walls of the pipe-fittings which are formed in the apparatus. I-Iowever, if the ridges should prove objectionable, they may be removed in a subsequent reaming operation. As a matter of fact, the pipe-thread protectors B are submitted to a reaming and threading operation after they are formed.

In the drawing, I have shown the rolls as comprising only six roll members 1a and 2a; that is, the illustrated rolls are adapted to form simultaneously onlysix pipe-fittings. In practice, however, I propose to employ longer rolls-rolls which will permit as many as thirty pipe-fittings to be turned in a single operation.

What I claim is:

1. In apparatus for the manufacture of hollow fittings, the combination of a collapsible forming roll which includes a shaft and a plurality of segments secured on said shaft to provide rolling surfaces, said shaft being adapted to be axially shifted relatively to said segments for effecting collapsing movement of said segments, a second forming roll opposed to the collapsible forming roll, a plurality of shearing edges on said second forming roll, said segments being in structure adapted to present edges for co-operating with said shearing edges on said second roll, whereby said rolls are adapted to shear a strip of skelp into a plurality of pieces and to roll and to effect welding of such pieces to form on the collapsible forming roll a plurality of said hollow fittings.

2. In apparatus for the manufacture of hollow fixtures, the combination of a collapsible forming roll comprising groups of segments, the segments of each group being arranged radially of the roll, and segments of each group being provided with fixture-forming faces and shearing edges outstanding therefrom, each group of segments in assembly providing a shearing and forming roll, and the several groups of segments providing in effect an axially aligned series of shearing and forming rolls; and a co-operating roll including fixture-forming faces and shearing edges, arranged and shaped complementary to the assembled collapsible roll, whereby the cooperating roll provides in effect an aligned series of shearing and forming rolls adapted to 'co-operate with the collapsible roll for the shearing and forming of a plurality of fixtures.

3. In apparatus for forming a plurality of tubular fixtures whose walls include intermediate their ends regions of different diameter than the contin'uations of the walls from such regions, the combination of a collapsible forming roll comprising a plurality of sections each so shaped that together they provide a rotary die upon which a strip of metal may be rolled to form such fixtures, a roll whose face is complementary in form to the rotary die provided by said sections, and means for effecting rotation of said rolls.

RUDOLPH J. HECKEL. 

